History Dinner Theater 2017-2018 Series

History Dinner Theater returns for its third season! This series will take participants on a journey from Rip Van Winkle’s twenty year nap in the mountains to Sally Ride’s journey into outer space. From Abigail Adams to Thomas Jefferson, we will journey through the stories of the American Revolution, women’s role in the new Republic, and the struggles of the new nation. Harriet Tubman will engage audiences on a musical journey from slavery to freedom. In addition to the show, guests will dine on a gourmet dinner of their choosing while they are regaled with tales and stories of the past. This year’s series will run from September 2017 to May of 2018.

A Visit With Harriet Tubman

Friday, March 16, 2018, 6 pm to 9 pm

The Fred M. Rogers Center

All Ages Welcome!

Karol Brown is the unforgettable Aunt Harriet Tubman. The audience laughs, cries and sings with Aunt Harriet as they visit with her in the parlor of the convalescent home she founded in Auburn, New York, where she lived until she died March 10, 1913, at age 93.

Karol tells stories that capture the emotions, imagination and the humanity of the woman called Moses. James Brown is a natural storyteller with a smooth tenor voice. As Brother Ely, he asks to “borrow the minds” of the
audiences, young and old to take them on a vicarious
journey to travel back in time to 1912, to visit with Harriet Tubman. Throughout the storytelling, James brings the sounds of the Negro spirituals into the room and the
audience experiences musically enchanting moments.

Ticket price includes a menu choice of one of the following selections:

Award winning actress Mary Ann Jung returns with an exciting portrayal of American icon Sally Ride. In 1983 aboard the space shuttle Challenger, Sally Ride became America’s first female astronaut and its youngest. What was it like to be our first woman in space? How did they have to modify the space shuttle? How do you eat, sleep and work in zero gravity?

Dr Sally Ride will delight and surprise you with her unique and challenging adventures. Everyone loves trivia and game shows so get ready to blast off in an exciting competition, “Who Wants to be an Astronaut?”

Ticket price includes a menu choice of one of the following selections:

All proceeds benefit the educational programming, collections care, and exhibitions at the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery.

Artists and Workshops

Folk Art Show and Sale with Marion and Polly Mitchell

April 19 and 20, 2018

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery at Saint Vincent College will host folk artists Polly Winkler-Mitchell and Marion W. Mitchell for a three-day exhibition and sale Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 19 and 20 at the Fred M. Rogers Center.

Winkler-Mitchell creates Scherenschnitte, a form of Swiss-German paper cutting used to create elaborate storytelling art. Her unique pieces are created freehand and without the use of patterns. In the past few years, she has been increasingly adding color to her work. Historically, many artists have used color in their traditional designs. “The Pennsylvania-Dutch often used watercolor to decorate cuttings and many Swiss artists have used color cutouts in order to present their ideas more effectively,” she commented. Winkler-Mitchell has enjoyed experimenting with Polish-style cuttings in the past few years. The bright colors and naive design elements are appealing. Her fondness for the intricate German Scherenschnitte and the Polish Wycinanki and its color seems to have guided her scissors in a new direction that combines the best of both techniques. The result is a unique style of folk art that has a depth that is almost sculptural.

Winkler-Mitchell’s husband, Marion Mitchell, will showcase his pieces as well. He creates Shaker-style sewing baskets and boxes along with Norwegian-style “tine” baskets featuring a locking lid. “More than 30 years ago, I became intrigued with the notion of resurrecting a 2,000-year-old craft that had all but disappeared,” he commented. He uses woods from the Southern Illinois woodlands and strives to use period-appropriate techniques and designs. Both artists’ work will be on display and available for purchase.

Traditional Bent-Wood Box Lecture

April 20, 2018

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Marion Mitchell will give a lecture on traditional shaker-style baskets on Friday from 2 to 3.

Stay tuned for new workshops coming this spring!

School Programs

The Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery would like to invite you to attend Woven into History, a history-based program for visiting classes of school children in grades K-6. Saint Vincent College is located in Westmorland County, PA in the Laurel Highlands and is located an hour outside of Pittsburgh.

This program is funded by Museums for America, the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ largest grant program for museums, supporting projects and ongoing activities that build museums’ capacity to serve their communities. At this time your school can attend the program at no cost.

Woven into History uses the Gallery’s Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Collection as a source of original artifacts for young students to learn from. As part of the program, students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on creative processes to explore mid-19th century American life. Through these activities, they will discover the history of the coverlets and other American textiles and how they relate to their lives. It is our hope that students will begin to appreciate the many examples of folk art incorporated into the coverlet designs.

The 386 jacquard-loomed collection is one of the world’s largest of American “figured and fancy” hand woven coverlets. It represents the historic 19th century transition from commercial handloom weaving to mechanized factory production in America.

In school options are available as well as museum visits.To reserve a field trip or request more information, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Scout Programs

Brownies

Stitch it Together*
Scouts will participate in sewing activities such as an animal sewing card, embroidery, making quilt patches and discussing what it
was like to be a young colonial girl in America.

Listening to the Past
As the scouts tour the gallery, they will hear stories and play games from long ago.

Juniors

Yarn and Fabric Arts*
The Girl Scouts will learn about the history of coverlets and experiment with weaving, stitching and dyeing techniques.

Folk Arts
In this program, scouts will have the opportunity to participate in multiple activities including drawing portraits and writing a short story from an old photograph, acting out a fairy tale, myth or legend. The scouts can also learn to make a quill pen and practice penmanship, participate in a stenciled
note card activity and learn about the history of the McCarl Coverlet Gallery.

Making Hobbies
Scouts will use materials such as nature, recycled materials, paint and paper to do various arts and crafts such as gift wrap and prints.

One adult is free for every four scouts.

Programs are $6.00 per scout, except for patches that require additional material. These programs are noted by an asterisks and cost $8.00 per scout.